Gin roll box front



I Jan. 13, 1942.

T. S. GRIMES GIN ROLL BOX FRONT Filed Aug. 2, 1940 2 Sheets Sheet 1 a I INVENTOR. THHDDEUS 5 GZF/MES ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 13, 1942 2,269,934 I C E GIN ROLL BOX FRONT Thaddeus S. Grimes, Columbus, Ga., assignor to Lummus Cotton Gin Company, a corporation of Georgia Application August 2, 1940, Serial No. 349,929

9 Claims.

My invention relates to cotton gins, and more particularly to a means for manipulating the roll box front to loosen the roll when the gin chokes.

One object of my invention is to provide a roll box front together with lever and linkage means for operating the same whereby the roll, when stopped in operation, may be quickly loosened and started revolving.

Another object of my invention is to provide a roll box front detachably mounted between the gin heads which is firmly held in operating position but which may be readily manipulated to loosen the roll, or be removed entirely when desired.

In the operation of cotton gins, the roll of seed and seed cotton which forms in the roll box often stops revolving, due to various reasons, which action is usually referred to by ginners as a choke. In accordance with my invention, the gin may be readily unchoked and the roll started revolving by an outward and upward oscillatory movement of the roll box front, there being provided a suitable lever accessible from the outside and linkages to effect such movement. Heretofore in unchoking a gin, it has been necessary to unlock the roll box front at each end and then move it back and forth by handles attached to the ends of the front, which movement required considerable effort.

Apparatus embodying features of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation showing a gin roll box equipped with my invention and having the gin head nearest the observer removed; and

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same.

Referring to the drawings, I show a cotton gin embodying a roll box I and saw cylinder II, the roll box being open at the top at I2. The roll box I9 is enclosed at the ends by gin heads I3, to which is pivota-lly mounted the huller breast I I by a pin I6. The rear of the roll box is defined by a curved rear wall I5, and the front by my improved huller front which will now be described.

At the end of the roll box is an end plate H, which carries a stub pin I8 fitting into and seating in a notch l9 in the gin head I3. At its lower end the end plate I1 is provided with a heel 2| resting against a stop 22 in the huller breast head I 4. Mounted between the two end plates I1 is a curved front wall 23 which is made of sheet metal and formed, as shown, to provide a front for the roll box. It is held in place between the two end plates by means of three rods 24, 26 and 21 extending from end to end of the front wall. Extending loosely through the front wall and through the end plate I1 is a shaft 28 which forms a floating, pivotal mounting for the roll box front. At the outer end of the shaft 28, is securely mounted a lever 29 which, at its front side, as View in Fig, 1 of the drawings, is provided with an open notch 3| which hooks over a pivot pin 32 in the huller breast end. The lever 29 extends upwardly, as shown, and is provided with a handle 33 for its manual operation. At the other end of the huller breast front is a forked arm 34 having lateral dimensions the same as the lower end of the lever 29 on the opposite end of the shaft 28. The forked arm 34, as shown in the drawings, is securely mounted on the shaft 28 and is hooked over the pin 32 in the gin breast head.

Withthe parts in the position shown in full line in Fig. 1, and the lever arm 29 in its most rearward position, the roll box front 23 is in its innermost, or ginning position. In this position, the pin I8 is hooked into the notch I9, and it will be observed that the shaft 28 is inwardly of the roll box with reference to the line of direction between the pin 32 and the pin I8, whereby the pin I8 is pulled tightly-down into the notch I9 with a knuckle joint effect. In this position,

pressure of the roll in the roll box I0 can not raise the front wall 23.

Assume now that the gin has become choked and the roll in the roll box Iil stopped, and it is desired to loosen it. The lever 29 is pulled forwardly, which raises the pin I8 slightly in the notch I9 and moves the front wall 23 of the roll box upwardly and forwardly to enlarge the roll box area and loosen the roll. As the lever 29 is moved rearwardly to again close the roll box front, the closing movement, as will be seen, is a downward oscillatory movement, and the lower edge of the front wall 23 engages the roll as it moves to closed position and helps in starting the roll.

As the lever 29 is moved forward, the pin I8 is moved forwardly in the slot I9 a sufiicient distance to disengage the same whereupon the upper edge of the front wall 23 may be grasped in the hand and moved forwardly. Since the shaft 28 passes loosely through the end plates, the front wall 23 and the end plates I'I pivot about the shaft 28 when the front wall is moved forward by hand. By the time the shaft 28 has been raised sufiiciently to disengage the pin I8 from the slot I9, the heel 2| on the end plate I! is clear of the stop 22, whereupon the end plate I! with the front wall 23 may be swung'to the full forward position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings. This is done whenever it is necessary to clean out the roll box. When in its extreme open position, if desired, the front wall with the lever 29 and forked arm 34 may be lifted off the pins 32 in the huller breast head M and taken bodily out of the gin. This is important whenever it becomes necessary to clean out the roll box.

To close the roll box, the movements described are reversed, the lever 29 is moved rearwardly until the pin [8 again engages in the notch l9 and the heel 2| of the casting IT comes to rest against the stop 22 in the huller breast head [4.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I have devised a roll box front for cotton gins, with means for manipulating the same whereby the front is held firmly in place in operation, but which may be readily loosened and manipulated to start the roll when the gin is choked, or re moved entirely, when desired.

While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications, without departing from the spirit thereof, and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed in the prior alt or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front comprising end plates, a pin at the upper end of each end plate seated in a notch formed in its associated gin head, a stop in the associated gin head for supporting the lower end of each of the end plates, a curved front wall secured between the end plates, a shaft extending from end to end of the front wall and through the end plates, and a lever secured to the shaft and pivoted at one side to the gin head to manipulate the front wall.

2. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front comprising end plates, a pin at the upper end of each end plate seated in a notch formed in its associated gin head, a stop in the associated gin head for supporting the lower end of each of the end plates, a curved front wall secured between the end plates, a shaft extending from end to end of the front wall and through the end plates, and a lever secured to one end of the shaft and detachably pivoted at one side to the adjacent gin head to manipulate the front and adapted when the front is in ginning position to hold the end plates down against their seats.

3. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front comprising end plates, 2. pin at the upper end of each end plate seated in a notch formed in its associated gin head, a stop in the associated gin head for supporting the lower end of each of the end plates. a curved front wall secured between the end plates, a shaft extending from end to end of the front wall and.

through the end plates, and a lever secured to one end of the shaft and having an offset portion detachably pivoted to the adjacent gin head to manipulate the front, said shaft when the front is in ginning position being inwardly of the roll box with respect to the line of direction from the pivot point for the offset portion to the notch support for the upper end of the end plates.

4. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front comprising end plates, a pin at the upper end of each end plate seated in a notch formed in its associated gin head, a

stop in the associated gin head for supporting the lower end of each of the end plates, a curved front wall secured between the end plates, a shaft extending from end to end of the front and through the end plates, a lever secured to one end of the shaft and having an offset portion detachably pivoted to the adjacent gin head, and a forked arm secured to the other end of the shaft and pivoted to its adjacent gin head, said lever and arm being adapted to raise the end plates off their seats and effect an oscillatory movement of the front wall.

5. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front comprising end plates, a pin at the upper end of each end plate seated in a notch formed in its associated gin head, a stop in the associated gin head for supporting the lower end of each of the end plates, a curved front wall secured between the end plates, a shaft extending from end to end of the front between the gin heads and through the lower part of the end plates, and a lever secured to the shaft and pivoted in the gin head forwardly of the shaft to manipulate the front.

6. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front comprising end plates, a

pin at the upper end of each end plate seated in a notch formed in its associated gin head, a stop in the associated gin head for supporting the lower end of each of the end plates, a curved front wall secured between the end plates, a shaft extending from end to end of the front between the gin heads and through the lower part of the end plates, a lever secured to one end of the shaft and pivoted in the gin head forwardly of the shaft to manipulate the front, and a forked arm secured to the other end of the shaft and pivoted in the associated gin head similarly to the lever.

7. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front, end plates for the front, a through shaft on which the end plates are mounted, stops carried by the gin heads for supporting the end plates and front when in ginning position, a knuckle joint mechanism associated with the shaft and gin head and adapted to lock the front in ginning position, and a lever secured to the through shaft and operatively associated with the knuckle joint mechanism to unlock the same and impart oscillatory movement to the shaft and front.

8. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front. a floating pivot for the front adjacent the lower edge thereof, there being upwardly opening slots in the gin heads, mounting pins carried by the roll box front adjacent the rear top portion thereof and adapted to fit in said upwardly opening slots, means to detachably hold the front in ginning position, and means to impart arcuate and upward movement to the floating pivot point to oscillate the front from its lower end to loosen and start the roll.

9. In a cotton gin embodying a roll box defined by a saw cylinder, gin heads and front and rear walls, a roll box front, end plates for the front, a shaft passing through the lower portion of the end plates and forming a floating pivot therefor, stops carried by the gin heads for supporting the end plates and front, and a lever secured directly to one end of the through shaft and pivotally mounted in the associated gin head to effect upward and oscillatory movement of the shaft and front.

'II-IADDEUS S. GRIMES. 

